Exports from Ireland into Great Britain have soared in the first half of 2021 whilst GB exports across the Irish Sea have fallen.
According to the Irish Central Statistics Office, exports to Great Britain (excluding NI) have risen 20% in the first six months of the year, rising by over €1 billion to €6.7bn.
This means activity from Ireland into GB has overtaken activity flowing in the other direction, with GB exports falling by 32% to €5.3 billion.
Food, live animals and manufactured goods have been hardest hit.
Why has the balance shifted?
In a word – Brexit.
The UK’s departure from the European Union and the single market has hit British exporters harder than their Irish counterparts due to border checks on shipments to the EU. However, for Irish and EU exporters into Britain, a more phased approach of checks has been implemented with the UK government opting for a 12-month transition period.
Read more: UK signs new trade agreements, closes in on NZ deal
As a result, all food and plant exports into the EU from UK firms have been subject to sanitary and phytosanitary checks since the start of the year, whereas Irish businesses have not been subject to the same levels of red tape.
If your business is still working to adapt to the post-Brexit trading environment, we can help. See our free Brexit Knowledge Bank and expert downloads and resources here.
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s landmark report published this week painted a bleak picture for the future of humanity and the planet.
There was, however, some cause for optimism. We can halt the ever-warming climate, or at least limit it to below two degrees, but we’ll all have to play our part.
The report was wide in scope, but it did hone in on some specific areas that are obviously apparent to exporting businesses – those areas being global shipping and aviation.
And it’s not just how we can look to neutralise the carbon output associated with a consumer-led truly global planet. It’s also to do with the effect that increasingly worsening weather will have on supply chains.
Supply chains are already being impacted by extreme weather – weather that is becoming more frequent due to the warming planet.
Marine risk consultant, captain Andrew Kinsey noted to AGCS that: ”Weather is no longer seasonal. Year-round we see tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and storms affecting shipping and inland marine, as well as associated infrastructure. Almost every mode of transport is affected, with a knock-on effect for supply chains.”
Read more: UK signs new trade agreements, closes in on NZ deal
Things look a little more positive on the freight front. Shipping and HGV industries have already made moves to cut emissions whilst legislation likely to be implemented in 2023 will require older ships having to hold permits to access EU ports. There’s also movement in the UK to test e-highways where HGVs will be powered by overhead cables.
The biggest challenge though will remain the aviation industry, both for passenger travel but also freight. Electric battery technology just is not yet available to power heavy freight loaders over huge distances.
The UK has signed a new free trade agreement with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, expected to boost trade in a relationship with over £2billion a year.
Signed in London earlier this month, the deal with lock-in tariff-free trade and secure greater access for UK businesses.
The deal is one of the most advanced that Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have ever signed with gold standard provisions in digital trade, mobile roaming and business travel. High-quality British food and farm products will also see duty-free quotas with new reductions and quotas on pork, poultry and other goods.
On the signing of the new agreement, international trade secretary Liz Truss commented that: “Today’s deal signing is a landmark moment for trade between the UK, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. It will support jobs, cut red tape, and open up more opportunities for the UK.
“I urge businesses across the country, from farmers to fintech, to seize the fantastic opportunities this deal presents.”
Elsewhere, the UK is closing in on an agreement with New Zealand after months of negotiations.
Truss again noted that: “We’re closing in on an agreement in principle, with six more chapters now complete.
“The UK and New Zealand share core values, a long history and a commitment to free trade. I want a modern agreement that pushes new frontiers in areas like green and digital trade.”
Read more: Why invest in the costs of an experienced export consultant?
That deal would represent a key step towards the UK becoming a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership – a £9trilion free trading zone spanning 11 Asia-Pacific nations.
This month we joined Alibaba to host a webinar, supporting their client-base to grow their export sales.
The webinar was centred on our 7-steps to export success guide (which you can download here).
Watch the webinar in full below:
Make sure you check out Alibaba’s great business support content here.
Last month we teamed up with the British Library to deliver a webinar on exporting and importing following Brexit.
We’ve split the two-hour session into specific chunks to help you get to the information you need.
The webinar covered a full range of topics, including:
- What’s changed with Brexit
- What the implications are
- How to address the challenges
- Rules of Origin
- Key issues facing exporters post-Brexit
- How to trade internationally post-Brexit
This final session covers how businesses can expand horizons to trade internationally and create growth in the post-Brexit era, including barriers to trade, exploring new opportunities and taking positive action.
Need more support?
We’ve put together a range of free guides and workbooks to help businesses navigate the choppy Brexit waters.
Last month we teamed up with the British Library to deliver a webinar on exporting and importing following Brexit.
We’ve split the two-hour session into specific chunks to help you get to the information you need.
The webinar covered a full range of topics, including:
- What’s changed with Brexit
- What the implications are
- How to address the challenges
- Rules of Origin
- Key issues facing exporters post-Brexit
- How to trade internationally post-Brexit
This session covers the key issues facing exporters in the wake of Brexit, including customs declarations, issues maintaining seamless deliveries into the EU, Origin and triangulation.
Need more support?
We’ve put together a range of free guides and workbooks to help businesses navigate the choppy Brexit waters.
Last month we teamed up with the British Library to deliver a webinar on exporting and importing following Brexit.
We’ve split the two-hour session into specific chunks to help you get to the information you need.
The webinar covered a full range of topics, including:
- What’s changed with Brexit
- What the implications are
- How to address the challenges
- Rules of Origin
- Key issues facing exporters post-Brexit
- How to trade internationally post-Brexit
This session covers Rules of Origin and the implications of the UK-EU TCA, including what it says, bilateral cumulation, whether or not sufficient transformation has taken place and how to prove origin.
Need more support?
We’ve put together a range of free guides and workbooks to help businesses navigate the choppy Brexit waters.
Last month we teamed up with the British Library to deliver a webinar on exporting and importing following Brexit.
We’ve split the two-hour session into specific chunks to help you get to the information you need.
The webinar covered a full range of topics, including:
- What’s changed with Brexit
- What the implications are
- How to address the challenges
- Rules of Origin
- Key issues facing exporters post-Brexit
- How to trade internationally post-Brexit
This session covers in detail the different Brexit-related challenges that importers and exporters will, and have been, experiencing.
Need more support?
We’ve put together a range of free guides and workbooks to help businesses navigate the choppy Brexit waters.
Last month we teamed up with the British Library to deliver a webinar on exporting and importing following Brexit.
We’ve split the two-hour session into specific chunks to help you get to the information you need.
The webinar covered a full range of topics, including:
- What’s changed with Brexit
- What the implications are
- How to address the challenges
- Rules of Origin
- Key issues facing exporters post-Brexit
- How to trade internationally post-Brexit
This session covers the technical implications of Brexit, covering everything from the HS code and EORI numbers to customs declarations, Rules of Origin, VAT changes and Incoterms.
Need more support?
We’ve put together a range of free guides and workbooks to help businesses navigate the choppy Brexit waters.
Last month we teamed up with the British Library to deliver a webinar on exporting and importing following Brexit.
We’ve split the two-hour session into specific chunks to help you get to the information you need.
The webinar covered a full range of topics, including:
- What’s changed with Brexit
- What the implications are
- How to address the challenges
- Rules of Origin
- Key issues facing exporters post-Brexit
- How to trade internationally post-Brexit
This session covers introductions and what’s changed since Brexit, including the big differences, what is the WTO, the anatomy of a modern free trade agreement, and details of The UK-EU Trade & Cooperation Agreement.
Need more support?
We’ve put together a range of free guides and workbooks to help businesses navigate the choppy Brexit waters.
